it is invalid by consensus, in accordance with numerous established principles, because it is a condition not sanctioned by the Book of Allah Most High. It is therefore invalid, even if there are a hundred such conditions. Examples include requiring someone to adhere to a particular kind of food, clothing, or accommodation that Islamic law does not recommend, or to refrain from certain actions that Islamic law recommends, and similar stipulations.

What remains is to determine how this criterion applies to individual cases. This may be agreed upon or disputed, because scholarly judgments differ concerning certain actions. A condition that has been left unfulfilled is therefore examined from another perspective: if it does not serve a purpose sanctioned by Islamic law, either exclusively or predominantly, it is invalid.

Even if the condition is valid, if the revenue then falls short of what the founder stipulated, the beneficiary may obtain enough from another source to meet the remainder of his needs. Providing students of knowledge with sufficient support is an obligation under Islamic law. Indeed, it is among the overarching interests without which society cannot function. No one may therefore stipulate anything that conflicts with it. How much more so when it is not known that the founder intended such a restriction?

In these circumstances, the administrator may deliver the allotted support to those maintained for their pursuit of knowledge without preventing them from obtaining the remainder of what they need from another institution where they hold appointments. This does not annul the condition; rather, it suspends its application when compliance is impossible. The same ruling applies to conditions laid down by Allah. A judge’s ruling does not preclude what has been stated.